The strong graphic lines of the lattice and balustrades in this portrait make a compelling and modern backdrop for Harriet, whose body takes up less than half the height of the negative, but who is undeniably its focus. The balance between her and her surroundings creates a delicate tension, and Notman carefully manipulated the light to draw out the starkest contrast. The porch floor is bathed in shadow, and Harriet’s hat is the lightest and central focus. The almost haunting quality of the light and the stark and decidedly un-Victorian lines seem more akin to the early twentieth-century American photographer E.J. Bellocq than to Notman.